Parents' concerns over closure of Llangollen Day Nursery

* Llangollen Day Nursery in East Street.

Parents have been speaking about how they will be affected by the closure of the popular Llangollen Day Nursery next month.

On July 17 they were sent a letter by the manager of the East Street nursery informing them that, “following an economic viability consultation” it was due to close on Monday August 14.     

They have since set up a Facebook page on which they are sharing their experiences and ways of finding alternative places for their young children.

They are have also been seeking the support of local councillors, the area’s MP and schools for their plight.

Chelsea Robinson  has three-year-old daughter at the nursery and on behalf of herself and her husband Tom she said: "The impending closure of Llangollen Day Nursery, leaves many working parents without care options that work around a traditional 9-5 job.

“Many are now faced with impossible decisions in order to balance their professional commitments with the care of their children.

“The impact on working parents unable to access suitable childcare cannot be understated and it is essential for local authorities to acknowledge and address these gaps in support, understanding that the availability of affordable and convenient childcare services holds the key to empowering and enabling parents to thrive in their professional and personal lives.

“We must come together as a community to advocate equitable solutions that meet the diverse needs of our working parents."  

Chelsea added that some parents who live in Llangollen are faced with 45-minute round trips to get their children to school in the town because they were now having to drop off younger children in a nursery further afield while others felt they might have to pull their children  out of  Llangollen schools altogether.

Another mum, Ceri Morris, said: “The decision made by the trustees has been upsetting, not only for the families but also the amazing staff who have lost their jobs in a wonderful nursery.

“My eldest child has attended Llangollen nursery since he was nine months old, he is now almost three  years old and was going to attend until he started school. I am currently on maternity leave with my second child  and this is an added stress we did not need.

“My youngest was due to start in the nursery in December of this year. The closure means I will now have to consider if it’s possible to return to my currently employment once my maternity leave ends.

“Although there are other nursery’s outside of Llangollen to consider, I am yet to find one which offers the same service hours and wrap around care that Llangollen offered, meaning I wouldn’t be able to complete my contracted hours at my current employment.

“In a time where the government are trying to implement work force changes to ensure women aren’t made to choose between a family and their career this is certainly a step in the wrong direction for the families of Llangollen.”

Rhiannon Wyn Hughes, Chair Llangollen Day Nursery Board, said: “This has been an upsetting decision for all of us.

“I have been involved with ECTARC for over 25 years and in that time we have needed to respond to a number of external changes to keep the building functioning and employment in the town.

“We had high hopes for the nursery and provided the funds necessary to turn the building into the lovely local nursery it had become. All the Ectarc and nursery staff worked incredibly hard to achieve this.

“The decision to close was not taken lightly. We have tried to explain to parents the reasons for closure, sadly we know we are not on our own with other nurseries closing every day.”

In a message to Chelsea Robinson recently, Ms Wyn Hughes went further into the reasons behind the closure, explaining:  “As trustees, we have been monitoring the development of the nursery on a regular basis, hoping for an improvement in the financial viability moving forward. Unfortunately the challenges of Covid and more recently the cost of living crisis and the increase in costs has worked against what we have tried to achieve.

“The information we considered when making the decision included:

 * The Denbighshire County Council Childcare Sufficiency Assessment for the area which indicates that there is a surplus of childcare places and a falling birth rate in the area

* The building requires further investment

* A large grant has been awarded to both primary schools in Llangollen to build new on-site nursery for aged 2 years + available from 2025

* The forecast  that we will be losing another 20% of children, after the summer, who are currently on our books.”

* The Facebook group set up for the parents of those affected by the closure is at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/220715008050894/permalink/6261287533993581/

County leisure service launches youth work summer camp

As part of its summer programme, Denbighshire Youth Service will be delivering its first ever Youth Work Summer Camp.

Spread over three nights, young people from across the county will be able to access this free of charge, taking part in a variety of activities delivered by qualified youth work team and partner agencies.

* August 21 - One night for Junior members (School Yr 7 & 8)

August 22-24 - Two nights for Senior members (School Yr 9 and above)

Activities will include:  Outdoor cooking, sports, bush craft, orienteering, VR sessions, team building challenges, campfire music, wellbeing workshops, morning yoga, outdoor cinema

Places are limited and booking is essential – for more information and consent forms, email youth.service@denbighshire.gov.uk.

In addition to Summer Camp, the service has organized a series of ‘Pop Up’ Youth Clubs across the county for new and existing members aged 11-17. 

These events are all free to attend but booking is recommended as places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

As well as taking part in the main ‘themed’ activity, young people can take advantage of all the other recourses and activities at each centre, and meet their local youth work team. 

Light refreshments will be available at each Pop Up free of charge. Young people are asked to make their own travel arrangements to and from each event.

Event:	Location:	Date:	Time:
Pop Up YC – Multi-Sports (Inclusive multi-sports day)	Llangollen Youth Centre	Tue 25th July 2023	4pm – 6pm
Pop Up YC –Urdd (Welsh language music workshop)	Ruthin Youth Centre	Wed 26th July 2023	4pm – 6pm
Pop Up YC – Digital (Videogame creation & VR sessions)	Denbigh HwbDinbych	Wed 2nd August 2023	4pm – 7pm
Pop Up YC – Bike Day (Bike maintenance& pump track )	Prestatyn Youth Centre	Wed 9th August 2023	2pm – 4pm
Pop Up YC –DofE Taster Session (Team building, navigation, tent challenge)	Rhyl Youth Centre	Thur 10th August 2023	10am -12pm
Pop Up YC – Animated Arts&Craft (Stop motion video making workshop)	Ruthin Youth Centre	Tue 15th August 2023	4pm – 6pm
Pop Up YC – Youth Wellbeing Day (Hosted by Denbighshire Youth Council)	Prestatyn Youth Centre	Thur 17th August 2023	12pm – 3pm
Pop Up YC –Urdd (Welsh language youth club & silent disco)	Rhyl Youth Centre	Wed 30th August 2023	4pm – 6pm

Places are limited and booking is essential – for more information and consent forms, email youth.service@denbighshire.gov.uk.

More care homes in North Wales will close, warns industry leader

 

* Care Forum Wales chief executive Mary Wimbury.

A "double whammy" of rock bottom fees and soaring costs will inevitably lead to more care home closures across North Wales, it’s been warned.

Care homes in the region are struggling with increases of up to 100 per cent for utilities and insurance, along with hikes of more than 20 per cent for things like food and incontinence products.

At the same time, the fees providers receive in North Wales can be up to £10,000 a year less per person than those given to their counterparts in South Wales for providing exactly the same level of care.

In recent months it’s been revealed that four care homes in North Wales - Trewythen Hall in Gresford, Bay Court in Kinmel Bay, Gwastad Hall in Cefn y Bedd and Morfa Newydd in Greenfield - have already had to shut with the loss of more than 160 beds, piling even more pressure on the beleaguered social care system and the NHS.

According to Care Forum Wales (CFW), the situation is one of grave concern, with many care homes teetering on the brink of financial ruin.

CFW Chief Executive Mary Wimbury said she expected the situation to get worse before it gets better.

She says local authority fees do not cover basic requirements or come close to meeting the actual costs of providing care.

There was also a widening North-South divide with the six North Wales authorities at the bottom of the fees table.

Ms Wimbury said: "People are struggling, they've been through a really difficult few years because of the pandemic and now on top of that, high inflation, staff wages increasing, cost of food, heating, insurance."

Helena Herklots, the Older Person’s Commissioner for Wales, is among those worried about the deepening crisis in the social care sector.

Speaking to the BBC, she said: “We are hearing about closures of care homes but also concerns about whether the care home their loved ones are in was going to close in the future.

"It's creating uncertainty and anxiety among older people, family and their friends and they're also dealing with the cost of living crisis." 

Among those on the front line is Ceri Roberts, a director of Cariad Care Homes in Gwynedd.

Cariad run two homes – Bodawen in Porthmadog and Plas Gwyn in Cricieth – where they employ 130 to look after 76 residents.

She said: “I’ve been managing care homes since 2005 and year on year, it gets tougher.  .

“Our food costs have gone up by 22 per cent in the last 12 months and there’s been a 21 per cent increase in the price of incontinence products. At the same time, utilities have gone up 100 per cent. Those three items are the bulk of our costs other than payroll.

“We have been paying our staff the Real Living Wage for almost two years and we did that voluntarily. We just felt that the work the staff do is exceptional. It’s a tough job. It’s physically and emotionally a very difficult job. We’re very grateful for the team that we have and they deserve to be rewarded for the work that they do.

“On top of that, we recently introduced a loyalty bonus so the staff, providing they work their contracted hours as per their contract, they can then get an additional hourly rate on top of their salary just to give them that little bit extra and over the year, which would give them £480 per annum, regardless of their position.

“So, it’s important that the fees we receive are a fair fee for the care that is provided. But they’re not.

“Year on year, it’s a battle. Every year, we receive a letter from both health board and the local authority saying ‘this is what we’re going to be paying you this year’.

“I don’t know of any other industry that would put up with that. I can’t go to Tesco and buy my weekly shop and then tell them how much I’m prepared to pay them for what I’ve bought. It’s crazy.

“All we’re asking for is a fair and reasonable fee for the service we provide, a fee the covers the actual cost of providing care to ensure the service is sustainable and will be there for future generations.

“Welsh Government have a document called Let’s Agree to Agree which says that commissioners need to consult with providers with regard to fees but there’s never any consultation.

“We are now in consultation with the local authority because we will not be viable with the fees they are willing to pay

“The Real Living Wage has gone up by just over 10 per cent and the increase from the local authority is only 3.5 per cent, so how do you make things balance?

“If my care homes were in parts of South Wales, I would be paid up more than £7,000 more  for every local authority funded resident more per annum so that would that would potentially equate to around £500.000.

“The extra money would enable us to have additional staff and we could invest more money in the homes. It could be put to good use instead of the constant struggle to make ends meet.

“Clearly, vulnerable people in South Wales are valued more than people in Gwynedd. Food costs the same in South Wales as it does here. It’s very unjust.

“I would anticipate that more care homes will close if things don’t change. It’s inevitable.”

Town Council's community support package unveiled

 

COMMUNITY SUPPORT GRANTS 2023.24 

APPLICATION FORM.

 

APPLICANTS CONTACT INFORMATION.

 

PROJECT NAME:
CONTACT NAME:
SIGNATURE:
ADDRESS:
TEL NO.    LANDLINE:
MOBILE:
EMAIL:

 

WHAT THEME OR THEMES DOES YOUR PROJECT SUPPORT? (please tick )

¨      PROMOTING BIODIVERSITY.

¨   FOOD GROWING, PLANTING AND PROMOTION.

¨      REDUCING, REUSING, AND RECYCLING

¨      SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE.

 

WHAT IS THE LIKELY COST OF YOUR PROJECT?  £_________

 

DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THE PROJECT INVOLVES:

WHO WILL BENEFIT?

 

HOW DOES YOUR PROJECT CONTRIBUTE TO THE THEME OR THEMES?

WILL YOUR PROJECT HAVE ANY ON-GOING RUNNING COSTS?(please tick ) 

¨  YES                         ¨  NO                         ¨  POSSIBLY 

 

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION 5.00 pm ON FRIDAY 15 SEPTEMBER 2024,

 

PLEASE RETURN TO: THE TOWN CLERK,

TOWN HALL, PARADE STREET,

LLANGOLLEN, LL20 8PW

 

or email a copy to towwnclerk@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk

Pentredwr wins funding for new community project

* People gather for the celebration at Pentredwr.

* An alternative use for wool by Sian Hughes.

* Harpist Tom Parry entertains.

Pentredwr and District Community Association has celebrated the completion of its National Lottery-funded project Hwb Pentredŵr which has been running for just over two years.

The funding of this project is nearly at an end but the National lottery Community Fund has seen the good work that has happened over the duration of the project and granted fresh funding for a new project, Calon Pentredŵr.  

A spokesperson for the association said: "We are absolutely thrilled with this news as the current project has been gaining momentum. 

"Our thanks go to the Lottery for the grant and to everyone who buys Lottery tickets as we would not have been able to provide the services we do without it. Look out for more information soon.

"The celebration event was extremely well attended by residents, friends of Pentredŵr, workshop providers, Eirian Pierce Jones from the National Lottery Community Fund, South Denbighshire Community Partnership Representative Jen from Hwb Pengwern, Citizens Advice Bureau representative Robert Butterton, David Sheil from the Area of Outstanding National Beauty, local county councillor Karen Edwards and many more.  

"We had an impressive display of the ongoing Hanes Pentredwr project by David Crane of Llangollen Museum and a display of Alternative Uses for Wool by Gill Britten of Gwlângollen.

"Sian Hughes gave a vote of thanks and showed the recently completed short film made at Hwb Pentredwr showing the hard work which goes into producing wool. 

"Howe’s That 3D felting company provided a felting demonstration and Jane, Jan and Terry who attend Gill’s weekly Maker Day sessions were demonstrating their spinning, weaving and knitting skills. 

"Tom Parry entertained on his harp and Marian Morris of Ceiriog Catering provided a wonderful buffet for all to enjoy. 

"The name Hwb Pentredŵr will not be disappearing, however, as Pentredwr and District Community Association have renamed the Community Centre building, Hwb Pentredŵr, so the name lives on."

Do you have what it takes to become a school governor?

A campaign to encourage more people to apply to the role of school governors has been launched.

Schools across Denbighshire are looking for skilled volunteers to become part of their governor team.

You don’t have to be a parent with a child at the school and you don’t need previous experience or qualifications as a governor. 

Becoming a school governor provides an opportunity to share your skills, gain experience in areas such as project management, recruitment and budget control whilst doing something great for the community at the same time.

Successful applicants will have the opportunity to use their skills to make a positive difference to the lives of young people in helping them to achieve their full potential at school.

Councillor Gill German, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Education, Children and Families said: “Becoming a school governor is such an important role within our schools.

“You will be helping schools to do their very best for our young people to provide them with the best possible chance in life.

“You will be making an invaluable contribution within our local communities and wider society, whilst meeting new people and learning new skills.”

Free online induction and training will be provided.

* Further information and guidance on how to apply to become a school governor can be found on our website >>> https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/education-and-schools/school-governors/being-a-governor.aspx